A Unique Concoction of Global Views
Fitness & Health
Quit to Have Radiant Skin
Feb 5th
Are you a smoker with an “it won’t happen to me” mindset? If the state of your health is not enough to stop you, is the price of your good looks? It’s a fact — apart from sun damage, smoking ages the skin faster than anything else. So why are so many of us still lighting up? 
Smoker’s Face
The term was coined by medical dictionaries in the ’60s to describe the ageing effect cigarette smoke has on the skin. Wrinkles, a grey, lifeless complexion and bony contours were the words used — surely enough to scare off any potential smokers? Apparently not: 27 percent of Aussie women are still lighting up, puffing on an average of 18 cigarettes a day.
But let’s face it, today’s smokers are more likely to be greeted by shock and gore ads showing tar being squeezed out of a lung and a blackened gangrenous foot awaiting amputation rather than the pallor of a smoker whose looks have gone up in smoke.
According to anti-smoking specialist Natalie Clays from Allen Carr Clinics, “These scare tactic campaigns just don’t work”. Perhaps appealing to the mortality of a generation who think they’re immortal isn’t the most effective way to get the smoking-is-bad-for-you message across.
Instead, why not appeal to their sense of vanity and point out the damage cigarette smoke can do to your skin — and your looks?
The damage
Nicotine adds years and, according to Clays, the effect smoking has on the ageing process is significant — and it gets worse, the damage begins as soon as the first puff of smoke is inhaled. With just one drag more than 1 trillion free radicals are produced by your lungs, triggering the erratic behaviour of cells that sets the premature ageing wheels in motion.
What Happens Next?
Once the draw back begins, the serious skin damage gets underway, including: An increased production of the enzyme matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which breaks down the body’s supply of collagen;
A reduction in the body’s store of vitamin A, which provides protection from skin damage;
Restricted blood flow through capillaries, which prevents oxygen and nutrients getting to the skin;
Restricted absorption of vitamin C, which is a vital antioxidant for skin protection and health; and
More wrinkles around the mouth, caused by continual puckering of the lips when drawing back, and more wrinkles around the eyes caused by squinting in reaction to cigarette smoke.
Saving Your Skin
The million-dollar question is what can be done to reverse the damage? Forget about pricey eye creams and skin-renewing serums, the first step is the most obvious — stop smoking. If the cancer and stroke warnings seen in advertising campaigns and cigarette packaging aren’t enough to encourage you to quit, perhaps the very real possibility of adding years to your complexion will.
While smokers in their twenties are yet to notice the real damage smoking is doing to their skin, Clays says once you begin creeping into your thirties and forties the effects are there for all to see. In fact, she says smoking can “easily add 10 years” — and if you’re in your fifties or sixties, make that 20 years.
But, on the flip side, quitting can quickly restore some of that youthful vitality, bringing back your colour and getting rid of the dullness associated with ‘smoker’s face’. In fact, Clays says, “After quitting, one of my clients was actually asked if she’d had a facelift.” This woman was in her forties.
The sobering news is that, while you won’t be able to completely reverse the damage already caused to your skin’s elasticity and vitality, quitting coupled with a healthy, balance diet, skin supplements and anti-ageing skin care will help to restore some of your skin’s youthful vigour.
Shrink Your Belly
Feb 5th
Forget weeks of carrot sticks and stomach crunches to get your tummy in sexy shape. We’ve got quick, painless remedies that will do the trick in a matter of days. By Victoria Storr
It’s the holy grail of the diet industry: the pursuit of a flat stomach. Yet, no matter how many kilojoules we shave off or sit-ups we endure, there’s no guarantee we’ll take centimetres off the one place we want to $#151; our middle.
Why? Because a round belly is often not to do with bad diet or lack of exercise, but bloating. “Most people suffer a little bit of natural bloating every day through eating and digestion,” says Laura Sutherland from the Dietitians Association of Australia.
“However, some of us put up with more than others due to everything from the food we eat to how much we drink.”
Here we tell you how to deflate fast with eight tips that will do the trick.
Remember, you are what you eat
While it won’t surprise you to learn that the quicker you eat, the more air you swallow and the more you bloat, did you know that the naturally occurring sweeteners found in some sugar-free lollies and gum can also lead to discomfort and distension. Why? “This is because these compounds that cause them to be sweet don’t actually get broken down, which is why they can be classed as sugar-free,” says Sutherland. “Instead, they [the compounds] end up in our large bowel and cause bloating.”
Take it slow Check the label of any artificially sweetened products, suggests Sutherland. “If it has the disclaimer ‘excess use may have a laxative effect’ or something similar, then it’s one of the sweeteners that can cause bloating in some people,” she explains. Try to reduce your use of these products.
Hormonal?
Who’d have thought the key to a flat stomach would lie in a simple little pill? But, according to CW Randolph, MD and author of From Belly Fat to Belly Flat, adding calcium D-glucarate and B-complex supplements to your regular vitamin regimen could do the trick. “Excess oestrogen causes the body to retain fat around the waist, but both supplements have been shown to help you excrete the hormone, which can lead to a smaller middle.”
Supplement solution Randolph suggests taking a calcium D-glucarate supplement twice a day with meals. B-complex supplements should be taken at the same time every day and consumed after or during a meal to aid absorption. (Before taking either supplements consult your GP if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on any medication, including the Pill.)
Feeling stuck
While it may seem too obvious to mention, it’s important to set aside time to go to the bathroom every day. It’s all too easy to ignore the urge to empty your bowels, but once you’ve trained your brain to dismiss your body’s signals, you set the stage for bloat-inducing constipation.
Make time for the toilet Go when you feel the urge. Some people’s signals are not as strong as others, but as a guide most people need to empty their bowels about 20 minutes after eating a meal – particularly breakfast. And take your time. Give yourself at least several minutes to ensure proper emptying.
Doctors Warn of Inconsistencies in Vitamin D Studies
Feb 5th
WASHINGTON – Vitamin D and calcium have been hailed as a possible antidote for cancer, heart disease and more, but a panel of US and Canadian doctors said Tuesday that the duo’s only sure benefit is bone health.
After reviewing about 1,000 studies on the supposed links between low Vitamin D levels and higher risk of serious diseases, the panel concluded that they showed inconsistent results, sometimes due to shoddy research methods.
The experts also issued new guidelines — the first since 1997 — for North Americans, saying people should take between 700 and 1,300 milligrams of calcium and anywhere from 600 to 800 international units of vitamin D each day.
Most people “probably don’t have vitamin D deficiency, that is the first message,” said Glenville Jones, a Canadian doctor who was on the 14-member committee for the US-based Institute of Medicine.
“We think there has been an exaggeration of the public’s interest in vitamin D deficiency. (People) should be reassured that vitamin D deficiency is quite rare in North Americans at this point in time.”
Just by eating a balanced diet and possibly taking a vitamin supplement in the winter, because sun exposure boosts vitamin D levels, most North Americans would have no difficulty meeting the recommended allotment, he said.
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